What Came Next
by JugBug24
Summary: Jug and Betty have finally realized they love each other, but they didn't realize what would happen next. Takes place directly after episode 13 of season 1!
1. Chapter 1

****NOTE: This takes place directly after episode 13. IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE WHOLE SEASON, DON'T READ THIS YET!*****

She had always been the perfect child from the perfect family. Her parents had been high school sweethearts, and her sister was the most popular girl in school. She tried her best to make her parents proud and uphold the family name. She had a 4.0 GPA and perfect attendance, but things aren't always what they seem from the outside. In a small town like this you knew everyone, and in turn, everyone knew you. That included all of your deepest and darkest secrets. Her parents fought every night and her mother had kicked her father out of the house. In retaliation, her father fired her mother from The Daily Register, and her sister was pregnant with her dead boyfriend's baby.

The dead boyfriend was Jason Blossom. He was a member of the wealthiest family in town and there wasn't a single person that wasn't talking about his death. It happened on July 4th, and his twin sister Cheryl had a story that not everyone believed. She said they went for a boat ride that morning, but it capsized and Jason drowned. There was an investigation that followed. After months of false accusations and an innocent man confessing it was discovered that Jason had been murdered by his own father. Consumed by his guilt, Cliff Blossom hung himself in the family barn surrounded by two of families' legacies. The first being the maple syrup that the Blossom family was known for, and the second, barrels full of heroin that Blossom had been trafficking through the family business for years.

Since then the town once consumed by the murder of a wealthy boy was finally starting to return to normal. The high school gossip that once gripped every student in attendance was now put to rest and she was trying as hard as she could to stay the girl she was before the murder. Her name is Elizabeth Cooper, but she went by Betty. She'd always hated her name.

Somehow over the last year she had fallen for the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. His father was a member of the Southside Serpents, the local biker gang. I'd had several places I'd crashed over the last year. Currently, I was sleeping in Archie Andrews' garage. My name is Forsythe Pendleton Jones III, but everyone calls me Jughead. I had always hated my name too, which was something we had always had in common. We had known each other our whole lives, and she had never seen me as anything else, until recently.

I'd loved her for as long as I could remember. She had always had eyes for my best friend Archie, but he didn't feel the same. At the time she had been crushed, but I saw it as chance. She'd asked me to write with her on the school newspaper. I was reluctant at first but she insisted that I'd have complete creative freedom about the Blossom case, and I couldn't turn down an offer like that.

Here we are a year later, in my dad's trailer making out on a kitchen counter. My dad was in jail for his small part in what led to Jason's murder. My mother was "over-extended" in Toledo with my little sister, and they had seen no other option that to place me in foster care. There was a loud knock on the trailer door and the Serpents were standing on the stairs. They handed me a leather jacket with the green serpent on the back. For some reason, without a thought I put the jacket on. I didn't know what possessed me to do it. The serpents had always been there for me and my dad when no one else was. For all intents and purposes, they were the only family I really had left. Out of the corner of my eye, Betty was peeking around the corner and through the cracked door.

"Juggy?" she asked quietly, concerned.

"Betts-" I stuttered, quickly saying goodbye to the Serpents on my doorstep and rushing back inside.

"I should go. My parents are probably wondering where I am." She said walking towards the door and staring outside.

"Look at me." I begged. She slowly turned around and avoided making eye contact with me. "Please?"  
I put his hand on her waist and a finger under her chin.  
"This jacket doesn't mean I'm going to start trafficking drugs and running a crime ring." I said quietly. "It just means I'm part of the family. You understand that, right?"

"Sure, Jug." She pulled away and tried to turn around again.

"Wait." I said catching her elbow. "I thought you were going to stay a while."  
"I gotta go, Jug. I'll see you tomorrow." She said walking through the door.

"Betty." I said one last time trying to convince her to stay. "I love you." I said hoping that it would change her mind. She just quietly nodded her head and gave me a polite smile, the same smile she gives random passerbys in the high school hallways.

"I know." She said leaving and walking to her car outside in the rain. I let out a frustrated sigh and took off the leather jacket I'd just been given. It seemed that just having it my possession had already started to taint what I had left. I threw it angrily into a dark corner of the trailer and sat back down on the couch. The night had gone from the precipice of perfection to another cold, dark, night alone in my dad's musty trailer.

"Damnit" I said to himself. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and wanted to message Betty. I needed to know that I didn't just lose her the same night that I realized I'd completely fallen for her. I looked disgustedly at the jacket in the corner. When I put it on, just minutes ago, I'd had a sense of belonging that I'd never felt before. I didn't think it would upset Betty to the point that she'd leave.

The next morning, I pulled myself up out of bed and sleepily stumbled my way through the kitchen making coffee and turning on my laptop. Sitting down I pulled up the novel I'd been writing about the Blossom case. I didn't know exactly what I was going to do with it when I was done. It just seemed like the case was the perfect fit for my voice as a writer. Just as I was about to start finishing it up, my phone started ringing. I couldn't help that when the caller ID showed Archie that I was slightly disappointed.

"What's up, Arch?" I asked half awake.

"He might not make it, Jug." His voice cracked on the other end of the line.

"Who? What are you talking about, Archie?" I asked concerned.

"My dad, Jug" He gasped on the other end of the line.

"What? What are you talking about?" I couldn't seem to comprehend what exactly Archie had just said.

"I met him at Pop's…last night…something went wrong…he shot him."

"Stay where you are. I'm on my way." I said hanging up with Archie and immediately calling Betty.

"Hello?" she answered half-heartedly, I couldn't tell if it was because she was still asleep or if it was because she was still mad.

"Betts, I need a ride to the hospital. I just got a call from Archie. Something about his dad being shot." I rambled.

"What?!" She said suddenly sounding awake.

"Please, Betts." I paused.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute." She hung up before I could say anything else.

Thirty minutes later we were in the lobby of the ER. Archie's mom was on a flight in from Chicago, but her plane had been delayed due to weather. Betty and I sat in an uncomfortable silence for some time before either of us tried to say anything. Flashes of last night kept going before my eyes, he kept remember how happy he'd been before that stupid knock on the door. The feeling of needing her close, the feeling of her kisses on my neck. Nothing had ever felt that intoxicating.

"Betty." I said quietly without looking at her. "Please tell me you're not done with me because of what happened last night."  
"You should have told them you had to think about it, Jug" She said stiffening in her chair and adjusting her jacket.

"You're kidding, right?" I scoffed.

"No." She said glancing at me. I could see in her face that she didn't want to be angry but in true Betty fashion, she at least had to pretend first. At least, that's what he hoped was going on.

"Betts, I'm still the same guy. It's just a stupid leather jacket, it was them trying to show solidarity and do right by FP. You know they're kind of the only family I have right now." I said putting a hand on her arm to get her attention. Her shoulders softened and she finally made eye contact with me and smiled.

"I just worry about you, Juggie." She said putting her hand on mine. "I just want you to be safe and happy." She finished. Just as she was about to speak again, I heard Archie from somewhere behind me. His voice was full of anger and I felt someone shove me out of the chair from behind.

"New jacket?" Archie said through gritted teeth. His face was red, and I could see the tears on his face.

"What?" I asked standing up and trying to regain my balance.

"Don't ask me 'what'." He said flying around the side of the row and pushing Jug again. "You're supposed to be one of my best friend's Jug."

"Archie!" Betty said getting in between them.

"Move out of the way, Betty." Archie said seething.

"No! What happened, Archie? We've been sitting here for-" Archie pushed her out of the way and took a swing at me with his already broken hand. I reeled back, the side of my face was pounding and throbbing with a searing pain. I took a deep breath and lunged back at Archie. We fell onto the floor in a fit of left and right hooks. Betty tried to get up from the floor and pulled back on Archie's shoulders.

"STOP! He didn't do anything Archie!" She pleaded.

"NO!" He flung her off his back and she fell backwards hitting her shoulder on one of the low tables behind her in the waiting room. Sheriff Keller showed up just in time to see Archie pummel me in the face again.

"Hey!" He said as he and his deputy pulled us apart. Archie was still fighting against Sheriff Keller's grip.

"What the hell is going on?" Keller asked moving to stand between the us. Betty was still on the floor rubbing her shoulder in confusion.

"Where'd you get the fucking jacket, Jughead? Huh?" Archie asked taunting him.

"Does that really matter?" I asked putting my beanie back on my head. I could feel his eye already starting to swell and I could taste the blood in my mouth.

"That's what I thought." Archie spat.

"He could still make it, Arch." Betty said as a nurse came to help her up.

"NO, HE CAN'T BETTY. He died ten minutes ago. I thought you were my friend Jughead" Archie said.

"What are you talking about, Archie?" I asked looking at my best friend and wiping the blood off my mouth.

"A Serpent shot him in the robbery, a Southside fucking Serpent, Jughead." He said getting in my face. "Or should I just call you FP?" He said spitting the words out sourly. Archie looked me up and down disgustedly and walked out of the ER. Betty looked at Jughead confused.

"No. This is not how that's going to end." She said firmly "I'm going to go talk some sense into Archie. I'll be right back, ok?" she said quietly. I took a deep breath and sat back down with the weight of the world on my shoulders. I could see Betty trying to talk to Archie outside in the rain. I still didn't see how a stupid leather jacket with a snake on the back could turn my best friend against me. I watched Betty outside as she tried to convince him that I was a good person.

Later that afternoon, Archie's mom had finally made it in from Chicago and funeral planning had already begun. I couldn't shake the last time I'd heard Fred Andrews' voice. Fred and Archie were fighting in the kitchen over where I should stay. Fred thought I should move into the garage because of my dad's arrest and Archie stood by my side. He stood up for me. I remembered how heated they had both been. It haunted me that the last time I'd heard Fred's voice was when he was pointing out all the problems I had caused.

"What's on your mind, Jug?" Betty asked coming over and sitting down next to me on the couch back in the trailer. I'd somehow managed to convince her to come back with me after the morning's events. She had been reluctant, but I had to make sure she knew this wouldn't change me. I had to make sure that she knew how important she was to me. She was everything to me and nothing was ever going to change that. She slowly climbed into my lap and I leaned back relaxed against the couch. This was new, Betty usually wasn't the type to do something like that.

"Lemme see that eye, Juggie" she whispered looking at me concerned. She brushed my hair back out of my face and gently touched my worsening black eye. I winced as her fingertips grazed it.

"What are you doing, Betts?" I said trying not to get my hopes up that something might happen. It wasn't easy when I felt myself wanting her even more than I did last night.

"Taking your mind off of everything." She smiled as she kissed me. Every fiber of my being wanted nothing more than to take her up on the offer, but something was stopping me.  
"Don't you think we should talk about what happened last night? Before the Serpents came over?" My palms were sweating. She put one hand on either side of my face. Her touch sent me into a flurry of emotions. I felt my pants get tight just from her touch.  
"Just don't break my heart, Juggie." She breathed quietly. "Please?"

"I would never do that." I said looking into her eyes. She slowly pulled my beanie off and set it down the couch beside us. She ran her fingers through my hair and every hair on my body stood on end. I closed my eyes and my head fell backwards. Call it hormones, call it pure human need, I wasn't sure what it was. I quickly picked her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist laughing.

"What are you doing?" She said putting her arms around my neck.

"I can't wait anymore." I said trying to take her to my room. We made a pit stop to make out on the counter in the kitchen before finally making it my room.

An hour later she was laying next to me and I was playing with her hair. I could feel her slow even breathing against my skin and I closed my eyes taking it all in. There had been other girls before her, but nothing had ever felt like that. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked up at me. She propped herself up on her elbow and put a hand on my face and smiled at me. It was enough to make want to do it all again, and again, and again. Who said we'd ever had to get out of bed again?

"You ok?" She laughed looking at me. I'm sure I looked pretty out of it.

"You have no idea." I said as I put a hand behind my head to get a better look at her.

"What's that mean?" She laughed again. I paused, almost embarrassed to tell her exactly what I meant.

"That." I said trying to see if she could just catch my drift.

"What?" She was toying around with me. I took a deep breath.

"I've never cum like that before, Betts." I said finally hoping she wouldn't think I was being weird.

"Oh sure, Jug." She said instantly not believing me. I threw my head back and laughed. She looked back at me like I'd lost my mind.

"I'm serious. I didn't even know it was possible for anything to feel like that." she giggled and got out of bed.

"Where do you think you're going?" I said not letting go of her hand as she got up.

"To the bathroom?" She said confused. I shook my head laughing until I realized there were spots of blood on my sheets. I don't know why it surprised me. It's not like I thought Betty had been sleeping around. I felt like an idiot at how I had given in to being impatient.

"Betts." I sighed, suddenly really upset with myself.

"Juggie?" She said back jokingly from in front of the bathroom mirror.

"Damnit, Betts." I said again rolling onto my back and mentally beating myself up.

"What's wrong?" She asked her brows knitted with concern.

"You should have said something." I said.

"I don't get it, what should I have said?" she said sitting down on the edge of the bed wrapped in a sheet. Her hair fell down over her shoulders and the light coming in through my blinds lit her up and made her glow.

"Your first time shouldn't be on a damn kitchen counter." I said spitting it out. "Damnit." I cursed again.

"It could have been in a car for all I care, Jug. What matters is it was with you." She said, I crossed my arms and looked back at her.

"No, it shouldn't be there either. I should have made it special for you. Not on a night when we're planning Fred's funeral."

"Juggie." She said lying back down next to me. She pushed my hair back out of my face and I looked at her. "Stop it." She said looking me square in the eyes.

"If I had wanted dinner, rose petals, and fancy hotel rooms…I would have waited. I would have told you that's what I wanted, and I would have turned you down last night. You wouldn't have even gotten my shirt over my head, Jug." She said

"But that's what you deserve. You deserve rose petals and dinner…maybe not in that order, but you catch my drift." I said starting to loosen up.

"Nothing could have been more perfect then what just happened. You even said it yourself." She said smugly. "The only thing that I would change is what happened this morning, you know that."

I narrowed my eyes and looked at her. "What?"

"Just for reference. Pure fact finding, you understand." She said being professional. "Exactly how many other girls have you…?"

"Are you seriously asking me that, Betts?" I hoped she was kidding, I took a deep breath before I spoke again. "Just for reference?" I asked. She nodded her head and I reached out and flipped her onto her back. I held myself up over top of her and kissed her. I felt my whole body start to tingle just by being close to her.

"It doesn't matter" I pulled back and whispered. It wasn't like I had an entire black book full of girls I'd been with, I didn't want her to think she was another notch in my belt.

"It matters to me, Jug."

"If I tell you, promise me you won't be upset." I said still pinning her down.

"I promise." She said

"Two."

"Two?" She said curiosity seeping into her voice.

"The first was behind the drive-in with a girl whose name I don't even really remember, and the other had been a one night stand after a night of too much drinking in Archie's basement. Satisfied?" I said.

"Mmhmm." She said. I could already see the gears turning in her head trying to find out who it was.

"Stop that." I said moving my mouth to her neck and kissing down towards her shoulder. "it doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm in love with you, and that makes this completely different than anyone else." I tugged at the sheet wrapped around her chest and kissed the little bits of skin hiding underneath. She leaned up and kissed me again. I could feel myself get hard again when she ran her fingers up and down my back. She bent her leg and brought it up to my side. I moaned quietly and nuzzled my head in neck.

"I need you." she said almost animalistic, her breathing ragged. I could feel her warmth on my leg as I slowly pushed myself into her. She pressed her head back against the pillow and moaned. Earlier had been out of need. It was fast and dizzying, needing each other to be as close as possible. This time I took it slow with her. Every time I pulled myself out, I paused just before going back in again. Rhythmically we moved together, she pushed her hips up against me and I pressed them back down again. I could feel her as she tightened around me and she moaned, digging her nails into the skin on my back. It made me dizzy, as I tried not to cum until she was done. She pulled me closer and whispered in my ear.

"Just let go." she said, her breath tickled against my ear as I came with her. I laid myself down on top of her exhausted, and she giggled as she ran her fingers through my hair.

"You're incredible, Betty Cooper, do you know that?" I said into neck, kissing it one last time before rolling on to my back to catch my breath. Her phone started buzzing and pulled me out of my haze.

"It's my mom." She sighed with frustration.

"Tell her you're with Ronnie." I said trying to convince her to stay with me.

"I can't. She knows Hermione is preparing for Hiram to come back, she doesn't want me there right now." She sat up and started getting dressed.

"Come back, you're too far away." I pouted. It didn't last long before she laughed and threw my boxers in my face.

"Walk me to the door, Juggie." she said putting on her shoes. I sat up and pulled them on and then pulled at the side of her shirt gently. She turned around I crawled up to put my hands at her waist. I gently kissed the skin showing on her legs, and tried to put my hands up under the hem of her skirt.

"Down boy." She said putting her hands on mine. "You know I don't want to leave, but she'll literally kill me if I don't." she said looking down at me. I was slightly disappointed that she'd put her hair back up in her classic ponytail.

"Just stay tonight. You can sneak back early tomorrow morning before she wakes up from her xanax nap." I said in a last ditch effort to get her to stay.

"You know she'd have the whole town out looking for me. I'll see you tomorrow, Jug." I got up and walked her to the door. As she walked outside into the rain, I stood leaning against the door and didn't stop myself from checking her out.

"I love you" she said one last time before letting my hand go and leaving the trailer. What I didn't know was that Archie had been coming over for round two. What I didn't know was that he'd seen us, together, in the throws of passion and raging hormones. We hadn't told Archie about us yet. What I didn't know was how he would react.

Just as she drove away my phone buzzed on the counter behind me. When I picked it up there was a message from a number I didn't recognize, and there in the picture was Betty Cooper and I, probably taken through my bedroom window. I took one last look outside the trailer before going back in. That was the beginning of the end.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time we went back to school on Monday morning, everyone was buzzing with speculation around the possibly accidental murder of Fred Andrews. It appeared that there were two distinct schools of thought. You either thought he was just collateral damage amid a robbery gone wrong, or you thought he was shot on purpose. The latter thinking it could have been Hiram Lodge making a final statement against Andrews Construction and the raging battle over the drive-in land. To my shock, Archie was in classes on Monday. He moved through the hallways with his head down and ignored every attempt I'd made to apologize for something I didn't do.

By lunch, Veronica tried in vain to get him to sit with us, but he gave me a disgusted look and went to sit alone.

"So, what exactly happened the other night? Why does Archie suddenly seem to avoid you like the plague?" she said turning back around. "He probably really needs us right now with what just happened."

"He thinks I had something to do with his dad." I said shoving food in my mouth.

"Ah, so that's where you picked up the shiner." She said putting two and two together.

"Yeah." I said quietly trying to just focus on my food.

"I've never seen Archie like that. He literally lunged at Jug, you wouldn't have believed it. He went full dark no stars if you know what I mean." Betty said between bites of salad and holding my hand under the table.

"What provoked him to act like that I wonder." Veronica said looking over her shoulder as Archie sat alone pushing his food around on his plate.

"It's a long story." I said as the bell rang, I nodded at Betty as she went off to her next class. She smiled to herself as she walked away. I wanted to just follow her to someplace we could be alone, but I couldn't get the picture I'd been sent out of my head.

"Ronnie, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked her as we joined the mass of people in the hallway. I needed Veronica's expertise on the whole picture situation, it meant telling her about Betty and I but I didn't have much of a choice.

"What's up, Jones? You're looking a little shifty." She said crossing her arms and leaning against the wall in the hallway.

"Uh…" I said not quite sure what to say. I paused for a moment and tried to form words.

"Jughead. What in the world could strike you speechless. You're Jughead, resident cynic who always has something to say." She said laughing nervously.

"No, you're right, it's just a complicated topic." I stuttered again. "Betty and I are…dating." I said shoving my hands I my pockets.

"That's not really that complicated, Jug" she said laughing, "I'm guessing you haven't told Archie?" She said

"No, we haven't, and I don't think right now is a good time." I said nervously rubbing the back of my neck.

"Ok, moving on. How can I help?" She asked.

"The other night…Betty and I…we, uh…" I stuttered, again at a loss for words, when suddenly Veronica's phone buzzed in her hand. She unlocked it and looked down at her phone. At first, she looked nonchalant, but it was soon followed by concern.

"You slept together?" She asked not looking up from her phone.

"Well, yeah. Wait, how did you know that?" I said relieved to finally get that out. The look on Veronica's face however was anything but relieved. There was an overwhelming sound of everyone in the hallway getting a text message all at the same time. We looked at each other as Veronica showed me what had come in to her phone. It was a different picture than I had received, you couldn't clearly see Betty's face in this one at least, but it was still obvious what we were doing. I looked up from Veronica's phone and noticed everyone was staring at me and whispering. That was when I caught Betty out of the corner of my eye as she slowly walked down the hallway under the gaze of every single student in attendance. While her face may have been obscured, her signature ponytail hadn't been. I instantly pushed my way to her, pressing through the crowd as everything started to move in slow motion. I felt people patting me on the back and others calling me every name in the book. They asked how I could have done this to someone like Betty.

I didn't care that everyone was staring at me, I needed to protect her. She stood alone at the other end of the hallway tightly gripping her hands into fists as everyone moved around her and stared. I could see the embarrassment on her face as the name-calling started. I could see Archie walked slowly behind her with a cocky smirk on his face, no doubt feeling like this was some kind of karmic payback. When I reached her, she was shaking and her face was red. I put both arms around her and tried my best to protect her. I knew this was one of those moments you see in movies where everything could change. The only difference was I _knew_ this would change Betty, I was just hoping it wouldn't change her forever. The thought of losing the carefree, inquisitive, determined, and stubborn Betty broke me. I quickly walked her to the exit just down the hallway. Just as we broke free, Mr. Weatherbee started telling everyone to get to class and stop loitering.

I sat her down gently on one of the stairs outside the school and kneeled in front of her. Every single breath she took was fast and panicked, and left her still gasping for air. Blood was covering her hands as she pressed her nails and hard as she could into her palms. I gently took both of her hands and unclenched them the best that I could. She hadn't even realized she was doing it. I took both of her hands in mine and wrapped them tightly as I tried to make eye contact with her. She leaned forward into me and started crying as Veronica quietly came up behind us.

"Oh, Betty" She said quietly sitting down next to her outside. She put her arm around her, though Betty was still in her own world. I could see the anger on Veronica's face as she saw how her best friend was feeling.  
"We're going to find out who did this Betts." I said as she pulled away from me and nodded her head.

"If that went to the whole school, there's no doubt that your mom got wind of it, Betty." Veronica said just as Alice Cooper pulled up in her station wagon. I felt Betty's hand clamp down on mine as her mother got out of the car and stalked around it.

"How could you do this to my daughter?" She said obviously speaking to me. There was a protective tone to her voice that made me feel like I needed to get out of the way. I knew for once Alice Cooper was upset for good reason, just not with the right person.

"I didn't take or send those pictures, Mrs. Cooper. You have to believe me. I just found out myself." I said standing up and unwillingly stepping away from Betty. I put my hands up in surrender. I thought that maybe if I could force myself to be as polite and apologetic as possible, she would spare my life.

"I was just starting to like you, Jughead, really I was." She said as she helped a still mute Betty up from the sidewalk and into the car.

"Mrs. Cooper…" Veronica said quickly.

"Veronica, for all I know, you put her up to this." She said putting her hand up and closing Betty in the car.

"What?" she replied confused, "Put her up to what?"

"She wouldn't be sleeping around if you hadn't come along."

"Hey! Wait a minute." I said dropping my hands and feeling the anger take over. "She's not 'sleeping around'." I said taking a step forward only to have Veronica hold me back.

"You have to know that Jughead loves your daughter. He wouldn't ever do anything to hurt her like this. He's not that kind of guy." She said, I wasn't used to people really sticking up for me.

"You and Jason Blossom are just the same." She said crossing her arms, "Jason ruined Polly, and you've ruined Betty." Her words felt like a knife to my chest. "So if you'll excuse me, I have to take my daughter home and fix the mess you made."

"Stop." Betty said breaking her silence.

"Honey –"

"STOP." She said louder closing her eyes. Her voice was raspy and her eyes were red.

"It's ok, Betts." I said trying to come to terms. I didn't want to admit that this was probably the last time I would ever see her. I had flashes of that night burn themselves into my brain. We had been so happy, the world outside of the two of us hadn't mattered.

"No." She said again trying to open the car door. Her mother came over to her and made a failed attempt to baby her. "NO!" She said again more firmly. "You're not sending me off somewhere like you did with Polly. You're not doing that to me." She said determined.

"Honey, we will talk about this at home." She said closing the door and walking to the driver's side. I quickly made the few steps to the car and took Betty's hand that she was putting out the window trying to reach me, the car slowly started moving as I caught her hand and started to run after it. When I couldn't keep up anymore I stopped in the middle of the road and watched as Mrs. Cooper just stole everything good I had in life.

"SHIT!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. I ran up to the nearest light pole and punched it at full force without even thinking. I pulled my arm back and hit it again, and again. My knuckles had started to bleed but I didn't feel anything. By the time Veronica and Kevin came over to stop me my hand was covered in blood and starting to swell.

"It's ok, Jug." Veronica said quietly. "Come on, let's get you to the hospital, ok?"

"I'm fine." I said avoiding eye contact and shrugging their hand off of me.

"Dude, you kinda broke your hand." Kevin said trying to reason with me.

"I'm fine." I said again almost robotically. "Archie did this." I said realizing in my head that he was the only one who saw Betty and I together that night at the hospital.

"And you can deal with Archie when you come back...from the hospital…because you broke your hand." Kevin said slowly, as if I'd somehow developed a mental disability in the last thirty seconds.

"Fine." I said finally as Veronica and Kevin walked me to Kevin's car.

Three hours, four x-rays, a cast and four beers later I was back at home and having a staring contest at my phone. I kept hoping that I'd get a message from Betty telling me she was ok, but I had a feeling Mama Cooper had taken away Betty's phone. My stare was broken when I had a knock on the trailer door. I looked out the window near the door and saw Archie standing on my stairs.

"You have a hell of a lot of nerve to show up here." I said cracking the door open and squinting as the setting sun shone into the dark trailer. I didn't realized how buzzed I was until I tried to remain standing, leaning on the door for support.

"You look like hell." He said biting the inside of cheek.

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when your best friend punches you and then betrays you."

"Oh, that's good, Jug. _I_ betrayed _you_?" he said pointing between the two of us.

"I didn't shoot your dad, Arch." I said walking away from the door feeling the sudden need to just sit down as the room started to slightly spin.

"And I didn't take pictures of you and your girlfriend." He said inviting himself in.  
"Something tells me you know who did." I shot back.

"Honestly, Jug, I'm mad at you. I'm not mad at Betty." He said. "I still feel like you know something about that robbery and you're just not telling me."

"Arch." I said trying to focus on him, he kept going blurry. "If I had known that was going to happen, I would have had you call your dad and make him leave beforehand. I wouldn't have let either of you be involved in something like that. Besides, I'm not a serpent." I said picking up the beer on the table and downing the last of it.

"The jury is still out on that." He scoffed, "You don't wear a serpent jacket if you're not a serpent."

"Why are you here Archie?" I said trying to stand and get another beer out of the fridge.

"Because I'm worried about Betty."

"I doubt that, I saw you earlier. I saw that smirk on your face when those notifications came in to every single phone on campus."

"Honestly, at the time, I was happy to see you have to deal with something like this. That maybe it would take everyone's eyes away from me, and stop talking about my dad."

"You're sick." I said disgustedly.

"I know you're mad at me, Jug, but I really am worried about Betty."

"What's wrong?" I asked perking up at the thought of her not being ok, especially right now.

"She's missing." He said finally spitting it out.

"What?" I said sitting up too fast. "What do you mean she's missing?"

"The police have been over there all afternoon, I'm surprised no one has come by."  
"No. She's too smart to come here, and her parents know that." I said standing up and losing my balance. "I need to find her before they do."

"Woah, Jug. You're wasted. You can't go anywhere like this." Archie said with a semblance of worry evident in his voice.

"Watch me." I said grabbing my coat from the floor and heading out the door. I couldn't let her parents find her first, they would send her away never to be seen again. Just like they did with her sister Polly. I wasn't going to let the nefarious person behind the photos get what they wanted. I had promised her I wouldn't break her heart, and she needed me, I could feel it. I could feel how scared she was and I was going to find her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Jug, stop. You're really not in any kind of condition to go looking for her." Archie said as I considered taking my dad's truck. I opened the door and got in, quickly finding the key behind the visor.

"JUGHEAD." Archie said louder this time. "You're not driving anywhere. Get out of the truck."

I paused for a moment and realized exactly how right Archie was, I was wasted.

"Then you're driving." I said slightly slurring and getting out and walking around the front of the truck, leaning on it slightly for support.

"Neither of us are driving, Jug –" Archie said putting his hands on my shoulders. "The cops are out looking for her. We have to trust that they will do whatever they can."

I tried again to get into the truck. I was just about to end up in round two of the fight we started in the ER, Mrs. Cooper came up the road and parked next to the old green truck.

"Where is she?" She asked worried. "Please tell me you know where she went." She said. Alice Cooper was the kind of person that didn't usually crack and show you what was underneath the hard outer shell she'd built up over the years. Yet, here she was in my front yard on the verge of tears, fraught with worry for her daughter.  
"I don't know." I said feeling my eyes start to well up.

"You have to know where she is Jughead. Please." She said coming closer her makeup starting to run down her face.

"I wish I knew, Mrs. Cooper." I said as she slapped me across the face. Points for her, I definitely wasn't expecting that. She had literally just slapped me sober. She sniffed loudly and crossed her arms across her chest looking apologetic for about two seconds before continuing her interrogation.

"I need to know one thing, Jones." She paused, thinking about what she was going to say, "Please tell me you're not just using my daughter." She said her usual anger seeping slightly into her voice.

"I would never do that, I love her." I said quietly looking down at my shoes. The last part had slipped out, I honestly hadn't meant to declare that to her mother, at least not yet.

"You _love_ her?" She said shrugging off sad Alice as if it had all been an act.

"You're sixteen, you don't know what that is." She said keeping her arms crossed.

"Yes, I do, and I've never been more sure about anything in my entire life." I said trying to plead my case. Archie's eyebrows raised in surprise. This wasn't how I planned on telling him. Alice took a deep breath and wiped her eyes, further smearing her mascara.

"Look, just promise me that if you find out anything, you'll let us know. I know we made mistakes in handling Polly and the babies. I know that sending her away wasn't the right choice, and I let my daughter down." She sighed, "I'm hoping that if you and I can work together..." she said choking up, "That we can find Betty and bring her home. Just let her know that her father and I are willing to talk to her about this, and that we won't make the same mistakes." She said getting in the car. I walked over to the passenger side and leaned down to the open window.

"If we're working together I need to know something." I asked, "Do you mean that? Or are you using me as a way to get to Betty? I'm not going to have everyone talking about her the way they do with Polly, Mrs. Cooper."

"I just want my daughter back, Jughead. Just help me find my daughter." She said putting both hands on the steering wheel and starting the car.

"I still don't feel like I can trust you, but I'll play along." I said standing up.

"I have my IT at the paper looking into the phone number the picture came from. I'll let you know if we find anything." She said clearing her throat and driving away.

As I watched her drive back down the drive, I turned on my heel and stumbled back inside, Archie following closely behind me.

"You didn't tell me you loved her." Archie said quietly as I sprawled out on the small couch in the living room.

"I've always loved her, Arch, ever since we were kids. I just never had the guts to tell her that."

"How long have you two been together?"

"A few months." I said with my eyes closed, my body wanted sleep but my brain was reeling at 180 miles per hour.

"Why didn't you tell me, Jug? We're best friends." He said sitting on the coffee table next to me.

"Are we best friends, Archie? Is that what you would call us?" I accused. He took a deep breath before he started speaking again.

"I just needed someone to blame, Jughead. You were there and I saw you walk in wearing that jacket just after the doctor told me he'd died." He swallowed hard and continued, "It was like something inside of me took over. I don't even really remember a whole lot about it."

"You gave me a black eye." I said still trying to remain angry, though I was emotionally exhausted.

"I'd give you a free shot at me if it would make you feel better." He said with a laugh.

"Nah, that's ok." I mumbled, "I just wish I knew where she was."

Just as I was starting to think of places to look when the sun came up, my phone beeped in my pocket. Archie and I looked at each other. We were both hoping it wasn't another picture.

 _ **I'm ok.**_

"Is it Betty?" Archie asked with hope in his voice, he leaned forward on the edge of the table to get a look at the screen.

 **Where are you?**

 _ **You can't tell anyone.**_

 **Betts, your mom was just here interrogating me.**

 _ **Promise me, Juggie.**_

 **I promise.**

"Where are you going?" Archie asked standing up.

"We're going to the drive-in. I need you to drive." I said pulling Archie up and dragging him back outside.

As we pulled up to the drive-in, the only light was coming from our headlights. Archie parked behind the booth, and I got out and quickly walked up to the door. After knocking, she cracked the door and peeked outside, her face covered with hesitation. When she saw me, she opened it up the rest of the way and I pushed the door out of the way and wrapped both arms around her as she buried her face into my chest. I wasn't sure how long we stood like that before Archie cleared his throat from behind me.

"I told you not to tell anyone, Jug!" she said as she pushed me away. "You promised me!"

"I had to drive him, Betty." Archie said as he closed the door quietly behind him. I could tell she smelled the alcohol on me.

"Are you drunk?" She said looking at me concerned.

"That's a possibility."  
"You should have seen him before your mom slapped him." Archie said laughing, then stopping suddenly when we both looked at him unamused. "I'm just gonna go." He said backing up and letting himself out.

It was the first time we'd been alone since the night Fred was shot. She walked over to the small cot that I'd been sleeping on when I was living here. She sat down and hung her legs over the edge, and she put one hand on either side of her legs. She kept her head down and I could hear she was trying not to cry.

"My mom came to see you?"

"She's pretty worried about you." I said as I sat down next to her and pushed myself back towards the wall. Her eyes were full of tears, but they had never been bluer.

"I feel like the only reason she's worried is because, for the first time, she's not in control of me right now."

"You don't think maybe that's because her youngest daughter was just publicly humiliated?"

"Why aren't you phased by this?" She asked as she laid her head down in my lap.

"I am." I said leaning my head back against the wall. "I'm just internalizing so I can make sure it damages me later in life." I joked. Betty didn't find it very funny.

"I'm serious. Why do you seem like you're ok with one of our most private moments being not only photographed, but sent to every single person we know? Heck, even to people we don't know!"

"I don't care what happens to me, Betty. You have this incredible future in front of you. Something like this could snuff that out, I don't want to see that happen to you. If I have to shoulder the embarrassment and the blame for this, and it means that you're safe and happy, I don't care."

"Don't give me that speech." She said rolling over onto her back, keeping her head in my lap. She looked up at me and narrowed her eyes. "Your life isn't over, Juggie. You're incredibly talented! Don't you see that?"

I rolled my eyes and put my elbow up on the desk at the end of the bed.

"No, don't roll your eyes." She said grabbing my hand that I'd put over my eyes. She shifted and sat herself in my lap so we could make eye-contact.

"You're an amazing journalist, you're well-spoken, you're incredibly intelligent, and –" she stopped as I gave her a sarcastic look, it was nice of her to say those things, but they weren't anything that would get me out of Riverdale. I was doomed to stay as a kid from the wrong side of the tracks that wears the same stupid hat every single day of his life.

"- And you have a heart of gold." She said grabbing my face in hands, forcing me to make eye contact with her. She smelled like warm honey and lavender. It was an intoxicating smell that instantly fogged all of my senses. There was a chance it could have been all the beer I drank, but it was more likely that she was causing my inebriation.

"What are you doing…" I said as she leaned in and kissed me softly, never breaking eye contact.

"Trying to help you realize how important you are to me." She said quietly taking my head in her hands and kissing my face. She kissed both eyes, my forehead and my nose. I couldn't push her away after that, I just wanted to be close to her. I could tell with the way that she kissed me that she needed to be close to me too

When morning came, we had somehow fit the two of us on the small cot. I could instantly feel the regret as my hangover set in. I untangled myself from Betty and sat up slowly. I quietly made my way to the bathroom in the back of the booth. It wasn't much, just a sink and an old shower that even when it did work the water was guaranteed to be ice cold. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and cursed myself. I had purplish bags under both eyes, the one on the right still slightly swollen from where Archie hit me. My skin was pale and my hair was even more unruly than usual sticking up in all sorts of places. The fact that I looked so much like my dad on one of his benders put an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Just as I was assessing the rest of my face in the mirror I felt Betty's arms wrap around me from behind. She put her cheek against my back and I put my hand on top of hers. Turning around she stood there wearing my shirt.

"I think that's mine." I said smiling at her. She had never looked more beautiful than she did right now, in that shirt…my shirt.

"Yeah, I might have to steal it from you." She said as she kissed me and then went to a bag she'd thrown into the corner. She pulled out her journal and sat cross legged on the floor.

"Maybe I should just skip out on school today." I said eyeing her. "Maybe I should just stay here with you." I said leaning back against the sink.

"No. If you're not there, they will figure out where you are, and that will give away where I am. I can't risk that, Juggie." she said without looking up from her journal.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I said disappointed. The thought of sitting through classes all day, itching to just come back here and be with her was driving me insane. After what happened yesterday, I wasn't even sure I'd be allowed to sit through them uninterrupted and undisturbed. I turned slowly and looked at myself one last time in the mirror before throwing on the rest of last night's clothes, kissing her goodbye and heading for school.


	4. Chapter 4

That day at school was rough. Principal Weatherbee pulled me into his office and gave me a twenty-minute lecture on the importance of internet safety. Reggie winked at me every single time he passed me in the hall, and most of the girls would just look at me disgusted. The lunch lady even snubbed me the usual extra burger she saves for me.

"Why does everyone think I'm the one that took that picture? I don't get it." I said as yet another group of girls passed whispering about me under their breath. Archie shook his head as he sat down across from me in the cafeteria. The jock table was pointing and laughing as they downed their lunches like rabid animals. That was it, I've had enough of this. I stood up quickly and stood on top of the lunch room table.

"Jug, what the hell are you doing?" Archie said as I got everyone's attention.

"I just want to clear something up about a certain photograph that may be floating around. I want you to picture yourself as Betty Cooper. Imagine how you would feel if you were in her shoes. Don't just say that you'd be ok with it, because you wouldn't. You would have been standing at the end of that hall yesterday with _everyone_ staring at you, _laughing_ at you, and calling _you_ names. Take a minute and think about the sick twisted human being that would feel the need to exploit someone's most private moments. Just take a second and put yourself in my shoes. I had Chuck _pat me on the on the back_ this morning and _congratulate_ me. What kind of sick bastard does that?" I said as I pointed at Chuck. "I may be here today, but I'm not ok with this. She hasn't been home in days, I'm not ok with that. I'm not ok with what happened yesterday and the next person that tries to tell me this is a _good_ situation is going to have a situation with my right hook. Got it?"

I looked around the room as everyone's face was in shock.

"Good." I finished as I got down from the table and stalked out of the room.

* * *

What happened later that day was something I never expected in a million years. What happened after that changed me forever. What happened after that felt like a greater blow to Riverdale than the loss of Jason Blossom. It fractured this small town into two separate parties. The side that understood what happened, and the side that didn't.

When school got out that day I had been excited to get back to the drive-in and see Betty. I parted ways with Archie about half-way there. He waved goodbye and I nodded a goodbye in his direction. I hiked my backpack up on my shoulders and I fidgeted with the sleeve of my shirt while I walked. I could hear my feet scraping against the sidewalk and I could smell the orange blossoms starting to bloom. See, these insignificant details were important because they'd never be the same again. When I finally made it to the Twilight drive-in, and made my way into the booth where Betty had been staying. Her duffle bag that had been thrown into the corner was gone, and so were all of her other things. She'd neatly folded my shirt that she'd worn this morning on the small cot against the wall. Taped to the wall were five envelopes, each one with names on them. I pulled my envelope from the wall and my world crashed slowly down around me with every single word I had read.

 _I'm not sure that I know where to even start. I'm not sure that I'm even doing the right thing. What I am sure of is that I can't stay in Riverdale. I can't listen to the whispers and the name calling. I can't even look my parents in the eye. I can't watch my life fall apart before my eyes. I know that I tried to pretend that I was ok and that I knew this blow over eventually, but I can't. There are five copies of this letter, but they are all the same. I am tired of everyone's secrets, I hate them. So, whatever I have to say will be said to everyone….so, here goes…_

 _ **To my parents,**_

 _I'm sorry that I let you down. I know that after everything with Polly you expected me to be even more perfect that I already tried to be. To tell you both the truth, I was slightly happy, at first, that you both saw that picture. Maybe it will burn itself into your minds and make you believe that I'm not what I seem on the surface. I'm not the perfect little blond girl that ran around the yard with her equally perfect blond sister. I'm tired of hiding the scars from nights when I couldn't take it anymore. I'm tired of living in that house and feeling like I'm slowly being suffocated. Please understand, that this is just as much your fault as it is the person that took those pictures. Yes, mother, there was more than one._

 _ **Juggie….**_

 _You're the only part of Riverdale that I'm going to miss. You're the only part of my life that will never leave me. You knew I had a darkness in me. You saw the scars that covered my palms and even the scars that no one else could see. You always accepted me for exactly who I was, nothing more and nothing less. I don't have any regrets about what we did, and I don't have any regrets about any single solitary moment I spent with you. I will never forget the afternoon that you crawled in through my bedroom window. I will never forget the way you ran out of things to say just before you kissed me. I will never forget the way you kept your eyes closed and sighed to yourself quietly before I blurted out things about Polly that in the end didn't even really matter. I'll never forget the way you looked at me that night, Juggie. You made me feel like nothing else in the world mattered. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine, Jug. Move on with your life and don't stop that because of me. You'll love someone else someday, I promise._

 _ **Archie, Veronica, and Kevin,**_

 _The three of you were my best friends at Riverdale High. We laughed, cried, yelled, and investigated together. Jason's Blossom's murder, oddly, brought us even closer together. Keep writing your music, Archie, because you are incredibly talented. Veronica, keep being you. You're so different than anyone or anything else in Riverdale. I'd say you succeeded in shedding your mean girl persona. Your heart is the size of Texas…and I can't forget anyone that put Cheryl in her place the way you did. Kevin, I hope I find another friend like you…though I'm sure I won't find anyone that was as loyal to me as you were these last few years._

 _Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Earlier today, I hiked my way to the top of the cliff that overlooks Sweetwater River. I was ready to jump when someone found me and offered to help me. Don't go looking for me and don't try to get information from anyone that you think may have been involved. They kept me alive, that should be all that matters. I love you all…_

 _Betty_

I slid down the wall and felt devastation sink in, turning my arms and legs into stone. I sat in the small room and re-read her letter, what felt like, a hundred times before I realized that I was the one who had to deliver the news to her parents. I hadn't even noticed that the sun had set and someone was knocking on the door. My mind was racing, but I couldn't move.

"Jug? Where's Betty?" Archie asked as he came in and turned on the small desk lamp that had remained.

"Gone…" My voice was low and raspy, barely above a whisper. I was still trying to make sense of it all.

"What?" Archie said coming over to me and crouching down next to me. He took the letter from my hand and read it slowly to himself.

"She…she's gone." I said this time not being to stop the tears.

I had never cried like that in my entire life, not even as a kid when my mom moved to Toledo with Jellybean. I had never felt like I was being split in two like this. _Why couldn't she have taken me with her?_ I thought to myself over and over again. Why did she live me here to live in a dilapidated trailer that she knew I hated? I had nothing here that I would have missed. I had no ties to Riverdale that would have prevented me from going with her. I kept seeing flashes of that night, thinking about how perfect it had been. The way she smelled, tasted, felt. The sound of her breath in my ear, saying my name, and saying 'I love you'.

Archie stayed in that room with me until I didn't have anything left, he sat on the cot and just let me deal with my emotions as I tried to process it. He watched me cry in sadness, yell in denial, and he watched me punch and kick anything I could in anger, then he watched me fall into a state where emotions didn't exist anymore. Finally, he stood up and spoke.

"We need to give that to her parents, Jug."

"I know." I said monotone.

"C'mon, Jug. I'll drive." He said as he pulled me up the from the floor and handed me the jacket I'd thrown against a wall in anger.

"Now?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, now." He said

* * *

The ride to the Cooper residence was silent. I could hear Archie tapping his thumb repeatedly on the steering wheel in nervous anticipation of the conversation to come.

"I didn't even know she was having a hard time." He said realizing that maybe he wasn't as attentive a friend as he thought.

"No one did." I said quietly.

"Did you?" He asked glancing at me.

"Sort of." I said again, speaking in full sentences was more than my brain could handle right now. I fiddled with the buttons on my beanie as I looked out the window. I caught a reflection of myself in the window as rain started to pelt against the windows.

When we pulled up the the Cooper's, my mouth went dry. I felt dizzy and unstable on my feet.

 _Earlier today, I hiked my way to the top of the cliff that overlooks Sweetwater River.  
_

I took a deep breath as we got closer to the door. Archie was in front of me, at least I had him to help me do this. I couldn't do this alone. Ever. He knocked on the door and I held tightly onto the envelope with her parents' names written carefully on the front.

"Archie?" Mrs. Cooper asked as she opened the door. "Jughead?"

You'd never mistake her for a worried mother that for sure. Her hair was still perfectly blond with every hair in its place. Her fitted blue dress, with a thin belt wrapped around her waist. She even had a string of pearls around her neck to top it all off. It made my blood boil that she didn't seem at all concerned that her daughter was missing anymore.

"Have you heard anything from Betty?" She asked her face actually turning into worry when she saw the state of me.

"Betty wanted you to have this." I mumbled holding out the letter towards Alice.

"No…" She said her entire persona instantly changing. I knew she was worried it would be suicide, worried that her daughter was dead and there was nothing else she could do. She didn't say anything else after that. She opened the envelope with shaking hands. She smoothed out the sheets of paper before she brought herself to read what her daughter had written.

"HAL!" She called into the house. He came to her side quickly and read the letter over her shoulder. When she was done reading she leaned against Hal for support and held her hand to her mouth. After a moment she looked up and looked me in the eye.

"You." She said pointing at me. "You have to be the one she's talking about. This is your doing, isn't it?" She accused.

"No." I said shaking my head and backing up slightly. "I'm just as devastated as you are, Mrs. Cooper."

"You're lying to me." She said running in the house and dialing the phone.

"Sherriff Keller?" She said into the phone while looking me in the eye, "I think Jughead Jones has something to do with my daughter's disappearance."


	5. Chapter 5

"How long did you know where Betty was?" Sheriff Keller asked as I, once again, sat across from him being questioned.

"The night she went missing she texted me. She told me she was at the old drive-in. The next day I came back to see her and those notes were left behind."

"So, you were hiding her." He deduced.

"No. Her going missing in the first place was news to me just like everyone else." I said putting my elbows on the table. "She asked me not to tell anyone, so I didn't."

"What happened when you found her." He asked writing things down even when I wasn't saying anything.

"Archie and I drove my Dad's old truck over to the drive-in. Betty seemed to be in a decent mood. She was mad that Archie had come with me, but it wasn't a big deal. We fell asleep and I went to school the next morning. When I got back from school that afternoon she was gone." I said.

"Hm." He said as he kept writing. "In her letter, she mentions that someone is helping her, the same person that prevented her from jumping into the River. What do you know about that?" He asked

"Nothing. I had no idea she even felt that way." I said pausing and trying not to let him see how upset I was. "If I had I would have done something to stop it. Look, every second you keep me in here, is a second that she's getting farther and farther away. I didn't have anything to do with this, Sheriff Keller, you have to believe me." I pleaded. He had to know that I wouldn't have let Betty just walk away from her entire life. Something in Sheriff Keller's demeanor changed before he spoke again.

"I'm sorry Jughead. I have to take every lead seriously, especially with the way you showed up at the Coopers with that letter. Get home, I just had to bring you down for questioning. It was mostly for show, you understand." He said removing my handcuffs and walking out of the room leaving the door open behind him.

* * *

Later that night I started going through the list of people in my head that Betty could have been talking about. I had ruled out Archie and Veronica, they were too close and far too obvious. I thought it might be Kevin, but again, he was too much of an obvious choice. It wasn't either of her parents. While I wasn't a fan of them, the reactions they both had to the letter seemed genuine. Slowly I moved away from the inner circle and started branching out towards other Riverdale High social circles. Personality wise, Josie could be a suspect, but she had no reason to be out by Sweetwater River. I even considered Cheryl, but she wouldn't have any real motivation to help Betty. My mind rolled over all the names I could possibly think of and by the time I fell asleep the sun was starting to come up.

The next few days were a blur, and not in the sense that they went quickly. In fact, they dragged on and felt more like a few months. I had started to feel like I was just floating through my life. As cliché as it sounded, the world had kind of faded into a black and white, monochromatic place to be with Betty being gone. I had read and reread the letter a million times, and I kept thinking that I was missing something. There had to be something in the words, hidden, that I hadn't found yet. Something that would tell me where she was. Betty was smart, she could have done that.

"Jug." Archie said nudging me from my daze. I came back to as I remembered I was in a booth at Pop's with Kevin, Veronica, and Archie.

"Yeah."

"You gonna eat that? It's probably cold by now." He pointed to my uneaten burger.

"No." I replied. He grabbed the plate and slid it over in front of him. At least one of us had an appetite.

"We need to really find out who this person is. They know where Betty is." Veronica said in a hushed whisper as she played with the straw in her milkshake.

"Any ideas on who that may be?" Kevin asked giving Veronica a sarcastic look. "We can't just accuse everyone."

"The Coopers accused me." I said still slightly angry about that whole fiasco.

"Is it you?" Veronica asked bluntly. At least you always knew she would tell you straight.

"No, V. It's not me." I said robotically.

"Maybe it's Polly!" Archie spat out quickly.

"She's too obvious. Betty wouldn't choose her own sister. Polly could never keep a secret like this from her parents. It wouldn't work." I said shooting his idea down. I pulled myself out of the booth and started to walk away.

"Jug." I heard Veronica say.

"She said she didn't want to be found." I said turning around. "Maybe we should just respect that."

I left the diner and ignored my friends calling me back inside. The 20-minute walk back to the trailer had me lost in my thoughts. When I finally looked up I saw her, at least I thought I did. She was standing just off the side of the road in her pink trench coat, her blond hair down and just touching her shoulders. Her cheeks were pink and her hands were in her jacket pockets. It stopped me dead in my tracks until I blinked and realized that I had only imagined her. I made a decision in the moment that I was going to go against what she had asked. I had to. Betty said she didn't want to be found, but I was going to find her. If I had to question all of Riverdale, I would do it. First thing was to get to the cliff she talked about.

* * *

The next morning Archie and I hiked up to the cliff that overlooked Sweetwater River. We split up and looked through all of the bushes and trees. We tried to find anything that Betty or the mystery helper may have left behind. I slowly made my way to the edge and looked over. The water rushed by, peaking in small white crests before hitting a rock somewhere and breaking apart. I started wondering what had been going through Betty's head when she was standing here. It was peaceful if you closed your eyes. I could feel a small breeze across my face and the smell of the water below. It was like a deadly lullaby, slowly pulling you off the cliff and into the waters below. Where the current would pull you under and you'd fall into a sleep that you would never wake up from.

When I opened my eyes, I saw something hidden in a bush near my feet. It was wrapped in brown craft paper and had my name written on the front. _She knew I'd look for her._ I thought as I picked it up. There was no other way reason that she'd leave something here if she didn't think I was trying to find her. I quickly shoved it into the back waistline of my pants and walked back towards Archie.

"Find anything?" Archie asked as he came over.

"Nothing."

"Guess we should head back and try to come up with another plan?" He asked looking at me.

"Yeah, I guess so."

The entire ride back to the trailer I could feel the small paper wrapped package digging into my back. I secretly wished that Archie would drive faster so that I could find out what she'd left behind for me to find. When I finally got to my bedroom inside the trailer I sat on the edge of my bed and carefully tore open the package. I was surprised to see that it was her journal. The same one that she'd been writing in when I left for school that day. I opened it to start reading, but something about it just didn't feel right. These were her most private thoughts, things that she didn't want to share with anyone but herself. I could see her reasoning for leaving it behind, but maybe there was something here she needed me to read.

At first, I flipped to the very last page and tried to read her entry from the day she went missing, but then I thought better and realized I should start at the beginning of the story. The first entry seemed to be from the day Jason died.

 _ **July 4**_ _ **th**_

 _Today they found Cheryl Blossom down by the river. She said that her brother drowned when their boat capsized. So, now all of Riverdale is on the hunt for Jason's body. It's weird, I feel like there's something else to the story that Cheryl isn't saying. Of course, after the way Jason treated Polly, I'm not sure I'm all that upset. If he could hurt my sister the way my parents tell me…maybe he deserved it. Maybe it was karma rearing its ugly head._

 _In other news, I'm seeing Archie tonight for the first time all summer. Kevin is coming over later to help me get ready before I meet him at Pop's. Tonight, has to be the night that tell him how I feel. I've spent too much time keeping it from him. I need to start out sophomore year the right way…_

Reading about her feelings for Archie really wasn't what I was needing right now. Of course, not long after she poured her heart out for him, she started dating me, but still. I skimmed over the next few days and tried to find any keywords that jumped out at me.

 _ **August 14**_ _ **th**_

 _I don't usually write about this kind of stuff, but it's a big deal. The city of Riverdale is closing the Twilight Drive-In. Of course, I was going to go tonight. There might have been a reason for me to see Jughead. My mom trashed those plans. She always manages to get into business that doesn't concern her. She found the gun that I had taken from Grundy's car. She took my journal of all things and used it against Archie and Grundy. I dug my fingers into my fists so hard it hurts to write right now. I had to hide the blood that got onto my sweater the entire ride home. Can you imagine if my mom caught what my hands look like right now? The scabs are fresh, there's still blood under my nails that I can't get out and small purple bruises are starting to show up. She tore Archie apart…then again, he was sleeping with his music teacher. What was he thinking?!_

 _ **August 30**_ _ **th**_

 _He kissed me. He climbed into my room. He called me Juliet and he kissed me…then I ruined it and started rambling on about Polly's car. Damnit Betty! You're so stupid. You have a boy in your room that you started having feelings for and he kisses you and what do you do? YOU BRING UP POLLY!_

 _ **September 25**_ _ **th**_

 _It was supposed to be a simple plan. We would use Ethel's hot tub and we'd get the confession from Chuck. It was just supposed to be simple. It started out fine, but somewhere along the way I blacked out. V told me that I had said I was Polly and that Chuck was Jason but I don't remember. I'm scared that I don't remember. I tried to play it off with her, but she had part of it on video. It was me…saying those things…but it's just a black empty space of time. I dug my hands into my palms six times in the last two days. It's getting worse. I'm starting to feel like I'm spiraling. I'm scared, I don't know how else to feel._

 _I can't say anything to my parents because they'll just drug me or send me away. I hate those drugs! I can't say anything to Archie. I don't feel like I have enough guts to talk to him about something like this. I can't tell Veronica. She knows something is wrong, but I don't know how she'll react and the risk of her reacting poorly is something I can't do. I wish I could tell Jug, I feel like he's the only one who would understand. He's never been afraid of talking about things that make people uncomfortable…._

 _ **October 2**_ _ **nd**_

 _I showed him. I don't know what possessed me, but I showed him the scars on my hands. Maybe I felt like I owed him something after throwing him a party he didn't want. We got into a big fight and when I found him at Pop's I showed him._

 _When he doesn't know is when I got home that night I felt like the darkness wasn't just inside of me anymore. I feel like it's starting to grow and just completely eat me alive. I'm not suicidal…at least I don't think I am, not yet. Though tonight I have been wondering what it would be like to just be gone. What it would be like if I didn't have to force myself out of bed, force myself to smile, and force myself to appear how everyone expects me to. Would it be easier? Would whatever is on the other side of the bright light be better? Or would I just have to pretend there too?_

 _I wish I was ten years old again. Things were so easy then. My parents were happy, Polly was happy, I think I was happy…_

I snapped the journal shut and fell backwards onto my bed. How could she have been feeling that way for so long and I didn't even realize it? None of us realized it.

"Oh my god…" I said to myself and I realized something. "She'd been dropping hints the entire time. Damnit, Jughead. You could have stopped this." I covered my face with my hands and tried not to cry. Crying wasn't going to anything, and it certainly wasn't going to bring Betty back.

It was my fault. She told me about the darkness, she showed me the scars. In her own way, she was trying to ask for help and I didn't do what she needed me to. I wasn't there for her when I should have been. I was own wrapped up in my own flaming dumpster of life that I was blinded. Now I knew why she wanted me to read this, she wanted me to see the real Betty.


End file.
